Posted on 02/26/2026 4:59:35 PM PST by Libloather
An alleged Sinaloa Cartel leader has been charged with narcoterrorism and drug trafficking, and a reward of up to $5 million each is being offered for information leading to his capture, as well as the arrest of his brother, federal prosecutors in San Diego said Thursday.
Narcoterrorism is a new charge and term that stems from the Trump administration's designation of some cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, including the Sinaloa Cartel. Mexico has also worked with this administration to send some people to the U.S. for prosecution.
Rene Arzate-Garcia, also known as "La Rana," is described by prosecutors in court documents as "a high-ranking, hyper-violent Sinaloa Cartel lieutenant" who prosecutors say has "brutally controlled the Tijuana Plaza" along with his brother, Alfonso Arzate-Garcia, also known as "Aquiles."
The two have been running from drug trafficking charges since 2014, while controlling the Tijuana drug corridor for 15 years.
Prosecutors say the brothers have used "murder, kidnappings, extortion, and corruption" to control the region and support drug trafficking operations that have moved "thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and marijuana into the United States," while also laundering millions in drug proceeds.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Rene Arzate-Garcia has carried out "kidnappings and executions" in Tijuana on the cartel's behalf and is a central figure in an ongoing, violent conflict between two cartel factions.
Arzate-Garcia was designated by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control as a drug kingpin in 2023.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsandiego.com ...
Mexican cartels’ connections to Southern California explained
“...to send some people to the U.S. for prosecution.”
So we as taxpayers have to pay for the criminal’s prosecution then incarceration? What if the drug dealers have a Boasberg type leftist judge and set them free in the US? Think of all the defense lawyers we have to pay as well.
Sharks have to eat too, cheap and easy.
ping
At first glance, I swear I read “Shinola” as the headline’s first word.
I’m showing my age, I know. :)
I wonder how many San Diego officials had their pockets lined by Rene Arzate-Garcia and his brother, Alfonso Arzate-Garcia? Hint: San Diego mayor Todd Gloria is a Democrat. So was their former mayor, Robert Filner.
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